History Characters / GunkaNoBalzer

Character page for ''Gunka no Baltzar''.

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Weissen]]

----

!! Bernd Baltzar

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/balzer_200_4908.jpg]]

Bernd Baltzar is an officer in the Weissen Army who quickly climbs up the officer ranks during the First Norden-Trade War. After the war he is reassigned as a military advisor and lecturer to Baselland's military academy.

* TheAce: He is top of his class at his military academy days and see DoAnythingSoldier below.
* BadassTeacher
* DoAnythingSoldier: Theorist, instructor, and practitioner of artillery, infantry, cavalry. He is also a diplomat.
* MajorlyAwesome: His rank for most of the series.
* NervesOfSteel: Few things can make him panic but if he does, he always can quickly regains his wits.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: see the Main page for details.
* ObliviousToLove: Helmut's feelings for him grow over the course of the story, but he is remains unaware of this due to being [[MarriedToTheJob more concerned with military matters]].
* TheParagon: His superior, Groener, praises him as exemplary Weissen soldier in mind, body, and spirit. He is also able to detach his emotion from his reason.
* TheRival: He and [[spoiler:Liebknecht]] competed to be top of their class in their academy days. Then [[spoiler:Liebknecht]] starts to use extreme methods to strengthen Weissen.
* SoleSurvivor: Along with [[spoiler:Liebknecht to his whole academy, after failed coup attempt.]]
* WeUsedToBeFriends: With [[spoiler:Liebknecht]].
----

!! Hermann Groener

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/groener_200_7950.jpg]]

Baltzar's immediate superior in the Weissen Army.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: When Baltzar was first jailed in Baselland, he didn't blame for it and acknowledging the fault is in him and other higher-ups for not having enough information as Baselland only tells minimum info for their request.


----

!! Holst Von Stauffenberg : Weissen Army Chief of Staff

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chief_200_9979.jpg]]

The head of the Weissen armed forces and ''de facto'' leader of the country.

* TheChessmaster
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Baselland Royal Family]]

----

!! Reiner August Winklefeldt

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reiner_7858.jpg]]

Chief drill master of Baselland's Royal Military Academy and 2nd in line for the throne. Later he attempts to use his influence to modernize his country's military and to keep Baselland independent from great power realpolitik.

* BrokenPedestal: He used to idolize his brother but his brother changed...
* ChildProdigy: [[spoiler:He made a very detailed (rude, but still has a chance according to Baltzar) plan of a coup before he was 12.]]
* DrillSergeantNasty: Used to this until he met Balzar.
* [[spoiler:FakeKing / BodyDouble: He is not the real Reiner, only randomly chosen Erzreich child.]]
* ThePuppetCutsHisStrings: [[spoiler:The Baselland CivilWar could be considered his personal fight to free himself from Empress Maria's influence and blackmail. He eventually succeeds, abolishes the monarchy and declares Baselland an independent republic. The aristocrats who supported Crown Prince Franz, who still obeyed the Empress, are stripped of their noble status and political power becomes more centralized in the government. Needless to say, Empress Maria is not pleased with this turn of events.]]
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: He uses the his influence and kingdom's treasury to educate people, strengthen his nation, and keep his nation's independent.

----

!! Franz Theodor Winklefeldt

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/franz_200_3203.jpg]]

Crown prince and heir apparent to the Baselland throne. His conservative and isolationist policies stand in opposition to Reiner's. [[spoiler: Later it is revealed that he plans to align the country to Erzreich under Rudolph's influence.]]

* AmbiguousDisorder: He is diagnosed with psychosomatic lapse and paranoia [[spoiler:when Reiner brings some psychiatrists to him.]] Readers may also see InferioritySuperiorityComplex in him.
* BecomingTheMask: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]]. Despite not being the original Prince Franz, he comes to truly enjoy his role as Crown Prince of Baseland. Part of the reason why Franz indulges himself in fantasy and luxury is so that he can deny the truth as much as he can. Unfortunately, this also makes him a pliable pawn for Empress Maria, who could destroy his royal status at any time she wished. When Franz is stripped of his royal status after the abolishment of Baselland's monarchy, he suffers a mental breakdown.
* GeneralFailure: [[spoiler:He orders a frontal attack on the Royal Military Academy and accomplishes nothing but making the cadets waste a fifth of their ammunition in exchange for a lot of dead on his side.]]
* TheCaligula: Minor, but he is a ruler who tends to give tantrums if something does not go in his way. Not to mention his hobby in art.
* [[spoiler:FakeKing / BodyDouble: He is not the real Franz, only a randomly chosen Erzreich child.]]
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex
* RoyalHarem: Has two young girls at his side dressed up in scantily fantasy garb.

----
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Baselland Military Academy]]

!! Dieter Strunz

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dieter_2001_612.jpg]]

Second year student in the artillery division. He is the heir to Strunz Heavy Industries.

* GeniusDitz: Has some shades of this. He can gawk at wonder of modern arms for hours, making people question if he understands if those arms are used for bloodshed.
* PuppetKing: He is instated as Director of Baselland Railroad Company but everyone knows Baltzar is the one pulling his strings. His only concerns are whether the company is used to draw Baselland into Weissen's conflicts instead. Baltzar then explains to him, in the short run the company will be used as Weissen's tools but in the long run, HE, Dieter will be the one to choose what direction the company will take.

!! Paul Breitner

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/paul_breitner_2653.jpg]]

Second year student in the artillery division.

* AlwaysSecondBest: To Dieter in Artillery Class.
* HumbleGoal: To be a governmental clerk in peaceful office after he graduates.
* JoinTheArmyTheySaid: You could become governmental clerk in peaceful office they said. He has none but himself to blame this trope. Unknown to him things are going to change for Baselland so wars are surely coming.
* MassiveNumberedSiblings: He has 8 siblings.
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: As Baltzar points out himself, Paul's understanding of his choices' consequences means that he has the greater soldierly potential over Dieter. [[spoiler: When he is chosen as part of the academy contingent for the war against Holbeck, he does not ponder over his future lightly.]]

!! Marcel Jansen

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marcel_200_8260.jpg]]

Student in the infantry division.

* FriendlySniper
* HeroicSacrifice: Minor. He used to have bruises and scratches all over him to protect Thomas.
* TheQuietOne: He talks less than his peers.

!! Thomas Rinke

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thomas_200_6341.jpg]]

Student in the infantry division.

* TheLoad: Used to be this. So Marcel has to protect him. Not his fault really but his musket.
*

!! Helmut Markus von Babel

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/helmut_200_2637.jpg]]

Student in the cavalry division.

* BlueBlood: She is a noble by birth, just like the other cavalry cadets. This is later revealed to be a major source of personal angst for her, since she feels constrained not just by her gender but also by aristocratic traditions. Baltzar incidentally teaches her how to have more confidence and respect for herself, which is why she decides to ally with Baltzar and Prince Reiner during the CivilWar despite her parents and her friends allying with Prince Franz.
* [[spoiler:TheLadette: Just before her gender reveal, everybody (except the cavalry cadets) saw Helmut as a guy.]]
* [[spoiler:LadyLooksLikeADude: No one in the academy [except cavalry cadets(not even the reader] knew that Helmut is a girl. Baltzar (except cavalry cadets) is the first person to discover this when Helmut tries to get rid of the leeches from her body and then, Baltzar saw her breasts.]]
* [[spoiler:ObliviousToLove: She saw Jurgen only as her best friend until shortly before he is killed in battle. Helmut is also a victim of this because her own growing feelings for Baltzar are unnoticed by him, since he is [[MarriedToTheJob more concerned with military matters]].]]
* OpenSecret: To Cavalry Division those spoilered bits are this. Then Jurgen spilled the beans to Paul, Dieter, Marcel and Thomas.
* [[spoiler:SheCleansUpNicely: At the gala in Weissen's Embassy in Erzreich, she had to wear a dress. She doesn't look much different but still a feast to the eyes.]]
* [[spoiler:SuppressedMammaries: Done in the same way as WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}]]
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: Baltzar gradually teaches her how to have more confidence in herself, if largely for the sake of her becoming a better soldier. She gradually falls in love with him because of this.

!! Jurgen

Student in the cavalry division.

* ArrangedMarriage: [[spoiler:To [[TheLadette Helmut]]]]
* BlueBlood: Like all the cavalry cadets of the Baselland Military Academy, he is a noble by birth. [[spoiler:This eventually results in his death when his family and many of his friends ally with Crown Prince Franz during the Baselland CivilWar.]]
* CannotSpitItOut: [[spoiler:To [[TheLadette Helmut]]]]
* ConflictingLoyalty: [[spoiler:He has to choose between 1) Helmut who stay in Academy 2) his family and friends who chooses to join Prince Franz's faction. Ultimately, he sides with his family and is killed.]]
* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice: Subverted. He and the other cavalry cadets stay behind in an attempt to prevent pursuing forces from capturing Prince Franz and the other Baselland nobles. Despite their courageous death in battle, Franz is captured and his supporters are killed.]]
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: He, along with almost all of the cavalry students, are killed in battle against Prince Reiner's forces.]]

!! Frank von Baumann

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/frank_200_2350.jpg]]

Headmaster of the academy.

* NervousWreck

!! Heiko Gerber

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/heiko_200_4582.jpg]]

Head instructor and vice-principal of the academy.

* AllMenArePerverts: He frequently visits the brothel house in capital.
* EyesAlwaysClosed

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Holbeck]]

!! Captain Nielsen

A cavalry officer in the Holbeck Army. During the Second Norden-Trade War he leads the invading Holbeck troops on the Norden-Trade peninsula's eastern coast.

* BloodKnight
* ColonelKilgore: He LIKES war.
* KickTheDog: Ordering the execution of the wounded Weissen soldiers in direct opposition to the agreement regarding the treatment of occupied territories, simply because he finds the idea of a "humanitarian war" disgusting and unmanly.
* WarIsGlorious

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Erzreich]]

!! Empress Maria Ludovica

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/empress_200_3669.jpg]]

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/balzer_empress.PNG]]

The monarch of Erzreich.

* AppealToTradition: She told Baltzar of how members the royal families of Ezreich and Weissen have [[AltarDiplomacy married each other over the past three centuries and how this was a tried-and-true method to ensure peace between the two countries]]. In a final bid to prevent CivilWar in Baselland, Empress Maria planned to marry off her granddaughter Helena to Reiner (who is anti-Ezreich) while Franz (who is anti-Weissen) is to marry a princess from Weissen. She then told Baltzar to persuade Reiner to agree to this, knowing that Reiner was on bad terms with both her and his brother.
* [[spoiler: BitchInSheepsClothing: Implied, she looks like a kind old lady, but has been manipulating Baselland long before the series began.]]
* TheChessmaster: Oh yes.
* {{Expy}}: To Maria Theresa.
* IWasQuiteALooker: While she still looks good for age, she was quite beautiful 25 years ago.
* NotSoStoic: [[spoiler:A look of fury spreads on the Empress' face when she learns that Baselland became a republic after the CivilWar and she angrily breaks her fan in half. She has finally lost influence over Baselland after 25 years and it's likely that the new government would consider Ezreich an enemy for the foreseeable future.]]
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler: The real princes Franz and Reiner were kidnapped in 1845, never be found (kind of hard to find your baby in a midst of 315 children), so she convinced their mother to pick anyone and then essentially blackmailed the two "princes", using the truth as leverage. This is an important reason why Reiner later abolishes the Baselland monarchy, in addition to strengthening the country.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Others]]

!! Rudolph von Liebknecht (''WARNING: SPOILER'')

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rudolph_200_9469.jpg]]

A political agitator and a former junior officer of the Weissen Imperial Guard; he was once Baltzar's friend during their military academy days. [[spoiler: When the First Norden-Trade War began, he led a military coup in Weissen, that in spite of its failure gave the Weissen military a more prominent role in the country.]] Officially, he is a Baselland court musician, [[spoiler: but he later reveals himself to be an officer serving under the Ezreich Empire.]] He has a spinoff called ''Yuukoku no Liebknecht'', Liebknecht the Patriot.

* BombThrowingAnarchist: Can disguise himself to be one when leading a worker's coup.
* TheChessmaster
* EvilRedhead: Morally ambigous and has red hair.
* EyepatchOfPower: He has both in his right eye.
* ImpoverishedPatrician: He has a noble title and a manor but not much wealth. What makes exemplary is he doesn't mind this part much and focus to pursue his military career, and later a mysterious goal.
* TheParagon / TheParagonAlwaysRebels: He with Baltzar competed to be top of their class in their academy days. Then he incites a revolt...
* TheRival / RivalTurnedEvil: He with Baltzar competed to be top of their class in their academy days. Then he starts to use extreme methods to strengthen Weissen.
* SoleSurvivor: Along with Baltzar to his whole academy, after failed coup attempt.]]
* WeUsedToBeFriends: With Baltzar.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: He claims his goal is to strengthen Weissen but he does so with war. Also the readers know the one strengthened the most is military and that ''will'' incite equivalent of [=WW1=].

!! President Strunz

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/strunz_200_6095.jpg]]

Dieter's father and the head of Strunz Heavy Industries.

* DotingParent: He lets his only(?) son to a military academy and, usually, sends him rare, imported goods like Elish-language military journal.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure

[[/folder]]

* {{Adorkable}}:

* [[spoiler:FakeKing / BodyDouble: He is not the real Franz, only randomly chosen Erzreich child.]]

*

* PuppetKing: He is instated as Director of Baselland Railroad Company but everyone knows Balzar is the one pulling his strings. His only concerns are whether the company is used to draw Basellaand into Weissen's conflicts instead. Baltzar then explains to him, in the short run the company will be used as Weissen's tools but in the long run, HE, Dieter will be the one to choose what direction the company will take.

* [[spoiler:ObliviousToLove: She saw Jurgen only as her best friend until shortly before he is killed in battle. Helmut is also a victim of this because her own growing feelings for Bernd are unnoticed by him, since he is [[MarriedToTheJob more concerned with military matters]].]]

* [[spoiler:SheCleansUpNicely: At Gala in Weissen's Embassy in Erzreich, she had to wear a dress. She doesn't look much different but still a feast to the eyes.]]

* BlueBlood: Like all the cavalry students of the Baselland Military Academy, he is a noble by birth. [[spoiler:This eventually results in his death when his family and many of his friends ally with Crown Prince Franz during the Baselland CivilWar.]]

* ConflictingLoyalty: [[spoiler:He has to choose between 1) Helmut who stay in Academy 2) his family and friends who chooses to join Prince Franz's faction. Ultimately, he sides with his family and is killed for this.]]

* AppealToTradition: She told Bernd of how members the royal families of Ezreich and Weissen have [[AltarDiplomacy married each other over the past three centuries and how this was a tried-and-true method to ensure peace between the two countries]]. In a final bid to prevent CivilWar in Baselland, Empress Maria planned to marry off her granddaughter Helena to Reiner (who is anti-Ezreich) while Franz (who is anti-Weissen) is to marry a princess from Weissen. She then told Bernd to persuade Reiner to agree to this, knowing that Reiner was on bad terms with both her and his brother.

* TheChessmaster: Oh yes.
* NotSoStoic: [[spoiler:A look of fury spreads on the Empress' face when she learns that Baselland became a republic after the CivilWar and she unknowingly breaks her fan in half. She has finally lost influence over Baselland after 25 years.]]

* [[spoiler:TheLadette: Just before her gender reveal, everybody (except cavalry cadets) sees Helmut as a guy.]]
* [[spoiler:LadyLooksLikeADude: No one in the academy [except cavalry cadets(not even the reader] knew that Helmut is a girl. Baltzar (except cavalry cadets) is the first person to discover this when Helmut tries to get rid of the leeches from her body and then, Balzer saw her breasts.]]
* [[spoiler:ObliviousToLove: Posibbly to Jurgen]]

* ConflictingLoyalty: [[spoiler:He has to choose between 1) Helmut who stay in Academy 2) his family and friends who chooses to join Prince Franz's faction.]]

* [[spoiler: AltarDiplomacy: Planning to marry her Granddaughter to Reiner (Who is anti-Erzreich), while Franz to marry a Weissen princess (Who is anti-Weissen)]]
* [[spoiler: BitchInSheepsClothing: Implied, she looks like a kind old lady, but has been manipulating Baselland long before the series begins.]]

* TheReveal: [[spoiler: The real Reiner and Franz were kidnapped in 1845, never be found (kinda hard to find your baby in a midst of 315), she convinced the queen to pick anyone, then essentially blackmailed the two princes, using the truth as leverage.]]

* [[spoiler:SuppressedMammaries: Done in the same way as Disney/{{Mulan}}]]

*

* [[FakeKing / BodyDouble: He is not the real Reiner, only randomly chosen Erzreich child.]]
* RoyalWhoActuallyDoSomething: He uses the his influence and kingdom's treasury to educate people, strengthen his nation, and keep his nation's independent.

* [[FakeKing / BodyDouble: He is not the real Franz, only randomly chosen Erzreich child.]]

* EyepatchOfEvil=/=EyepatchOfPower: He has both in his right eye.

* TheParagon / ParagonAlwaysRebel: He with Baltzar competed to be top of their class in their academy days. Then he incites a revolt...

* WelllIntentionedExtremist: He claims his goal is to strengthen Weissen but he does so with war. Also the readers know the one strengthened the most is military and that ''will'' incite equivalent of [=WW1=].

* WelllIntentionedExtremist: He claims his goal is to strengthen Weissen but he does so with war. Also the readers know the one strengthened the most is military and that ''will'' incite equivalent of WW1.